ROME'S POV
------------------
Gritting my teeth, I fisted the phone. I'd been trying to play nice for so long, but no reward was in sight.
The guard behind me pried the phone out of my trembling fingers and hung it back on the wall.
I don't know how long I stood there trying to bottle my apprehension, but somehow, I bound up the creaky stairs to my room.
When I reached the doorless prison, I plopped to the floor, fanning my arms above my head.
Jade would be several towns away, and grandfather never entertained the idea of letting me out of his sight or that of the guards'.
I stared at the white spots clothing the night sky. A dark sense of foreboding tried to snuff my hope out.
"I'm not going to leave her," I breathed.
Determination folded me in, stretching my confidence till it was the only thing I could feel.
I had to do something. I wasn't going to let them separate us.
A week later, when we were eating our tacky dinner of beans and carrots out of crooked tins, I whispered to Jade what I'd been mulling over during my sleepless nights.
"No!" She gasped, her green eyes flashing around to ensure the guards weren't within earshot. "You can't do that. The Boss will be so mad at you, and we haven't even considered what he'll do to me or my family."
Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, I lazily smiled, pretending unease wasn't pressing down on my chest, and muttered, "You know I'll do anything for you, I'll find us a way out of here. I'll take on the guards if I have to."
"But you can't do it, Rome," she argued, "we could always meet somewhere one day. It's not like I'm moving away; you're on the other side of town."
Her concerns ticked every box in the book.
The Boss, a.k.a Grandfather, was not as mundane as other grandfathers; the sicko took pride in that too.
It was common knowledge to most and a stepping stone in helping him extend and enforce his power. I would know; I've been living with him my entire life.
And yeah, it's not like we'd never get to see each other again, so why was I making a big deal?
Because Jade had become my everything.
Because my life wasn't as great as it was cut out to be without her in it.
Because I wouldn't know what to do otherwise.
"But I want to see you every day," I countered.
"So do I," she slowly brushed my clenched fist. "We need to be careful. Running away won't work 'cause The Boss will catch us-"
"Jade-"
"-and, we're not dying, we're not disappearing off the face of the earth," she said softly, her light brows pulling together. "We'll always be together no matter where we are; it's only a matter of time."
I sighed into my can of beans. She was right. I knew it, but I didn't want to let her go, not even for a second.
She probably thought I sounded like a spoilt brat, but I couldn't let go of her.
But what if he made sure I never met her ever again? What if he forces her to stay away? What if-
A slight brush of her hand over mine forced me to lift my head and concede.
"Okay," I smiled. For her sake.
I couldn't wait to leave this confinement and have her on my side without hiding our relationship. Jade was someone I wanted to brag to Lance about.
She didn't want me just for my money and good looks. She wanted something more.
Something she could see in me that no one else could.
Something unique even if I couldn't see it for myself.
That was what pushed me to do my best for her, it even lessened the fear I had for my psychotic grandfather, and that was saying a lot.
With mom dead, father burying himself in alcohol or anything he could find, and Grandfather terrorizing and taking over whatever he pleased, I was always alone.
Sure, there were girls, but Jade filled that empty void mom had left behind. She showed me that empty feelings could go away. That I could breathe easy again.
I collected our cans, tossed them into the fireplace, and then winked her goodnight.
She returned it with a sweet smile like she did every night.
As I made my way up to my room, plans of what we'd do once we left accumulated in my head
As the rusty stairs creaked under my weight, I realized that I had stopped complaining long ago about wanting to go back to my fancy life in the city.
It was all thanks to one person.
Man, I wasn't letting her go.
"Jade Summers and Rome Vander," I whispered into the darkness, unable to help the lazy smile playing on my lips. I shuffled forward till my knees smacked against the hard wooden edge of my bed.
I leaned down, my hands smoothing over the wrinkled spread before slumping down with a sigh. I propped my hand over my chest, closed my eyes, and before long, sleep took me away.
-----------------------
Something hard tapped my cheek.
Wincing, I roused to make out the silhouette of a guard standing over me with a stick. I blinked as he shoved a note into my hands before leaving.
It read: "Basement. Two minutes."
Quickly grabbing a shirt -I already had my cargo pants on- I lazily stomped out of my room and jogged down the northern staircase which led to the basement.
I'd learned the hard way that two minutes meant a minute and thirty seconds. The wound below my rib had just faded into a scar, and I didn't need a repeat.
Rubbing my eyes, I landed on the cold cement barefoot, slipped my arms through the shirt, and peered around.
It was deserted and dark, save for the slivers of moonlight streaming through the holes in the roof, but I knew guards were hidden in several corners.
I stifled my frustration. Although this wasn't the first time, it was very annoying to stand here all morning. My sleep schedule would take a lot of damage from this stupid drill.
As I reached down to tug my pants higher, a hand slapped over my neck and squeezed. I frantically swung back to knock it off when a gun clicked through the silence.
Alarm iced my blood.
"Be a good little boy and move. The Boss is waiting for you."